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Casimir III the Great of Poland (1310-1370)
}} Casimir III the Great ( ) (30 April 1310 – 5 November 1370) who reigned in 1333–1370, was the last King of Poland from the Piast dynasty, the son of King Władysław I the Elbow-high and Duchess Hedwig of Poznań. Born in Kowal, Casimir the Great first married Anna, or Aldona Ona, the daughter of the Prince Gediminas of Lithuania. The daughters from this marriage were Cunigunde (d. 1357), who was married to Louis VI the Roman, the son of Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor, and Elisabeth, who was married to Duke Bogislaus V of Pomerania. Aldona died in 1339 and Casimir then married Adelaide of Hesse. He divorced Adelheid in 1356, married Christina, divorced her, and while Adelaide and possibly also Christina were still alive (ca. 1365) married Hedwig (Jadwiga) of Głogów and Żagań. His three daughters by his fourth wife were very young and regarded as of dubious legitimacy because of their father's bigamy. Because all of the five children he fathered with his first and fourth wife were daughters, he would have no lawful male heir to his throne. When Casimir, the last Piast king of Poland, died in 1370 from an injury received while hunting, his nephew King Louis I of Hungary succeeded him to become king of Poland in personal union with Hungary. The Great king (1370) within the dark red border; Silesia (yellow) is lost and the Kingdom is expanding to the east]] Casimir is the only Polish king who both received and kept the title of the Great in Polish history (Bolesław I Chrobry is also called the Great, but his title Chrobry (Valiant) is now more common). When he received the crown, his hold on it was in danger, as even his neighbours did not recognise his title and instead called him "king of Kraków". The economy was ruined, and the country was depopulated and exhausted by war. Upon his death, he left a country doubled in size (mostly through the addition of land in today's Ukraine, then the Duchy of Halicz), prosperous, wealthy and with great prospects for the future. Although he is depicted as a peaceful king in children's books, he in fact waged many victorious wars and was readying for others just before he died. Casimir the Great built many new castles (including Wawel Castle), reformed the Polish army and Polish civil and criminal law. At the Sejm in Wiślica, 11 March 1347, he introduced salutary legal reforms in the jurisprudence of his country. He sanctioned a code of laws for Great and Lesser Poland, which gained for him the title of "the Polish Justinian" and founded the University of Kraków which is the oldest Polish university, although his death temporarily stalled the university's development (which is why it is today called the "Jagiellonian" rather than "Casimirian" University). He organized a meeting of kings at Kraków (1364) in which he exhibited the wealth of the Polish kingdom. Concession to the nobility by the Crown of the Polish Kingdom (1366), by Jan Matejko]] '' in reign of Casimir the Great]] In order to enlist the support of the nobility, especially the military help of pospolite ruszenie, Casimir was forced to grant important privileges to their caste, which made them finally clearly dominant over townsfolk (burghers or mieszczaństwo). In 1335, in the Treaty of Trentschin, Casimir relinquished "in perpetuity" his claims to Silesia. In 1355 in Buda, Casimir designated Louis I of Hungary as his successor. In exchange, the szlachta's tax burden was reduced and they would no longer be required to pay for military expeditions expenses outside Poland. Those important concessions would eventually lead to the ultimately crippling rise of the unique nobles' democracy in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. His second daughter, Elisabeth, Duchess of Pomerania, bore a son in 1351, Casimir IV of Pomerania. He was slated to become the heir, but did not succeed to the throne, dying childless in 1377, 7 years after King Casimir. He was the only male descendant of King Casimir who lived during his lifetime. Also, his son-in-law Louis VI the Roman of Bavaria, Margrave and Prince-elector of Brandenburg, was thought as a possible successor as king of Poland. However, he was not deemed eligible as his wife, Casimir's daughter Cunigunde, had died already in 1357, without children. The Poles repulsed many raids of the Tatar-Mongols. However, Casimir III the Great submitted to the Golden Horde and undertook to pay tribute in order to avoid more conflicts. CICO-X, pp.189 The 7 Mongol princes were sent by Jani Beg khan to assist Poland. Peter Jackson-the Mongols and the West, p.211 Casimir had no legitimate sons. Apparently, he deemed his own descendants either unsuitable or too young to inherit. Thus, and in order to provide a clear line of succession and avoid dynastic uncertainty, he arranged for his nephew, King Louis I of Hungary, to be his successor in Poland. Louis was proclaimed king on Casimir's death in 1370, and Casimir's sister Elisabeth (Louis's mother) held much of the real power until her death in 1380. Relationship with Polish Jews , Casimir the Great and the Jews]] King Casimir was favorably disposed toward Jews. On 9 October 1334, he confirmed the privileges granted to Jewish Poles in 1264 by Bolesław V the Chaste. Under penalty of death, he prohibited the kidnapping of Jewish children for the purpose of enforced Christian baptism. He inflicted heavy punishment for the desecration of Jewish cemeteries. Although Jews had lived in Poland since before the reign of King Casimir, he allowed them to settle in Poland in great numbers and protected them as people of the king. Relationships and children Casimir III married four times. Aldona of Lithuania On 30 April or 16 October 1325, Casimir married Aldona of Lithuania. She was a daughter of Gediminas of Lithuania and Jewna of Polotsk. They had two children: *Elisabeth of Poland (ca. 1326–1361). She married Bogusław V, Duke of Pomerania. *Cunigunde of Poland (1334–1357). Married Louis VI the Roman. Aldona died on 26 May 1339. Casimir remained a widower for two years. Adelheid of Hesse On 29 September 1341, Casimir married his second wife, Adelaide of Hesse. She was a daughter of Henry II, Landgrave of Hesse, and Elisabeth of Thuringia. They had no children. Casimir started living separately from Adelaide soon after their marriage. Their loveless marriage lasted until 1356. Christina Casimir effectively divorced Adelaide and married his mistress Christina Rokiczana. Christina was the widow of Miklusz Rokiczani, a wealthy merchant. Her own origins are unknown. Following the death of her first husband she had entered the court of Bohemia in Prague as a lady-in-waiting. Casimir brought her with him from Prague and convinced the abbot of the Benedictine abbey of Tyniec to marry them. The marriage was held in a secret ceremony but soon became known. Queen Adelaide denounced it as bigamous and returned to Hesse without permission. King Casimir continued living with Christine despite complaints by Pope Innocent VI on behalf of Queen Adelaide. The marriage lasted until 1363/1364 when Casimir again declared himself divorced. They had no children. Hedwig of Żagań In about 1365, Casimir married his fourth wife Hedwig of Żagań. She was a daughter of Henry V of Iron, Duke of Żagań and Anna of Mazovia. They had three children: *Anna of Poland, Countess of Celje (1366 – 9 June 1422). Married firstly William of Celje. Their only daughter was Anne of Cilli. Married secondly Ulrich, Duke of Teck. They had no children. *Kunigunde of Poland (1367–1370). *Hedwig of Poland (1368 – ca. 1407). Reportedly married ca. 1382 but the details are obscure. With Adelaide still alive and Christine possibly surviving, the marriage to Hedwig was also considered bigamous. The legitimacy of the three last daughters was disputed. Casimir managed to have Anne and Cunigunde legitimated by Pope Urban V on 5 December 1369. Hedwig the younger was legitimated by Pope Gregory XI on 11 October 1371. Cudka Casimir also had three illegitimate sons by his mistress Cudka, wife of a castellan. *Niemierz (last mentioned alive in 1386). Oldest son. Survived his father, inherited lands around Stopnica. *Pelka (1342–1365). Married and had two sons. Predeceased his father. *Jan (d. 28 October 1383). Youngest son. Survived his father, inherited lands around Stopnica. Ancestors Title and style Casimir's full title was: Casimir by the grace of God king of Poland, lord and heir of the land of Kraków, Sandomierz, Sieradz, Łęczyca, Kuyavia, Pomerania (Pomerelia) and Ruthenia. The title in Latin was: Kazimirus, Dei gracia rex Poloniæ ac terrarum Cracoviæ, Sandomiriæ, Syradiæ, Lanciciæ, Cuyaviæ, Pomeraniæ, Russiequæ dominus et heres. Gallery File:Krakow nagrobek Kazimierza W.jpg|The King's sarcophagus at Wawel Cathedral File:Kazimierz III sarcophagus figure.jpg|Effigy of Casimir from his own tomb erected by his nephew around 1371 File:Casimir III the Great.PNG|Kazimierz the Great, by Marcello Bacciarelli File:CasimirtheGreat.jpg|Kazimierz the Great, by Jan Matejko File:Szydlow 20060619 1304 1.jpg|The Cracow Gate in Szydłów, part of the city walls established by the King File:Zamek w Będzinie.jpg|Będzin Castle; in 1348 the King upgraded it from a wooden fortress to a stone one File:Ogrodzieniec castle 20070504 1037.jpg|Ruins of the Ogrodzieniec Castle, built on the King's orderZamek Ogrodzieniecki w Podzamczu File:Kazimierz Dolny (ruiny zamku) 02.jpg|Ruins of the Castle in Kazimierz Dolny; the King extended it in the 1340s File:Pomnik Kazimierza III Wielkiego w Niepołomicach.jpg|Statue of the King in Niepołomice near his hunting castle File:Wislica Basilica 20070825 1023.jpg|Basilica in Wiślica, funded by the King, and built in the third quarter of the 14th century File:Szydlow church 20060619 1235.jpg|Saint Ladislaus Church in Szydłów, established by the King in 1355 File:Krakow kosciol sw Katarzyny 20070930 1522.jpg|Saint Catherine Church in Kazimierz, founded by the King in 1363 File:Ukraine-Lviv-Latin Cathedral-4.jpg|Latin Cathedral in Lviv, construction began in 1360 on the King's order File:Zamek sanok.JPG|the Castle in Sanok, built on the King's order File:Herma of Saint Sigismund in Płock Cathedral.PNG|Herma of Saint Sigismund of Burgundy, founded by the King for Płock Cathedral See also * History of Poland (966–1385) * Jagiellonian University * Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz * Kazimierz * Kazimierz Dolny * List of Poles References External links * His listing in "Medieval lands" by Charles Cawley. The project "involves extracting and analysing detailed information from primary sources, including contemporary chronicles, cartularies, necrologies and testaments." 1333